Pay Estate Agent with credit card

madpam53

We put our house on the market and sold it within 8 weeks. We have now decided to take the house off the market as we are unable to find anything on a par with our own.
We have now received a bill from the Estate Agent. As they actually sold it they have asked for the full amount as if the sale had actually gone through.
Does anyone think they will accept a credit card for payment as the bill says "make cheques payable to".

BitterAndTwisted

Do you mean that paying by credit card is the only way you can afford to pay the EA fees?

madpam53

Yes, it comes to £1773. Was going to get a loan but don't know what to do.

BitterAndTwisted

Please define "sold it". TBH if you can't afford £1700 what were you going to pay the moving expenses with if it had gone through?

Gwhiz

When you say you "sold" it...how far along was the sale - did you pull out before exchange?

Squish_21

How did you plan on paying it if you had found a new house to move to? Do you not have any spare money for emergencies etc.?

madpam53

Sold subject to contract. TBH we didn't expect a buyer to come along so soon. I am expecting to take voluntary early retirement with an excellent package which should be in July so that would have paid it anyway.
We would have paid the expenses out of the sale money as most people do if we had gone through with it.

Squish_21

All you can do is ask the EA whether they will except a credit card payment or not. I dont expect they will care too much as longs as they get thier money.

Gwhiz

Have you checked your contract just to be sure that the money is not owed at exchange? Just a thought!

googler

So you didn't really 'take it off the market', more like 'withdrew from the sale' ......

If the EA takes payments by credit card, there's no reason not to pay by credit card. As you say, though, if their literature says 'cheques payable to...' then it doesn't look as though they do.

Read your contract - does it specify that their fee is due if they introduce a 'ready, willing and able' purchaser?

You could ask if they'll take payment in instalments or post-dated cheques ....

pinkshoes

If you were happy with the price, then why don't you just sell and then rent until you find something else? You'd be crazy not to, and it will put you in a much better position when buying again, as you'll have no house to sell, so can put some cheeky offers in!